


A Fragile Thing

by quillandsaber



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Kissing, Perceived Two-Timing, holiday party, implied post-story steaminess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 07:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13026165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quillandsaber/pseuds/quillandsaber
Summary: Tina goes to London unexpectedly as a substitute security team member and sees something she's not supposed to see.





	A Fragile Thing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KatieHavok](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatieHavok/gifts).



Tina fought the urge to look up to the table at the dais.

Really, she oughtn't be here at all, at a British Ministry Christmas gala, but Valentina had just discovered she was in an "interesting condition" two hours before the Portkey was supposed to take her with the rest of Picquery's security detail for this event, and Tina was the only spare Auror in the office who had her international paperwork already on-file with England so that she could be whisked off to London. She'd expected the few long days standing stone-faced in frozen corners in formal dress and uncomfortable shoes, keeping an eye on everyone and everything.

But she hadn't expected _him_.

Everything she'd been led to believe, everything he'd told her, seemed to imply that Newton Artemis Fido Scamander was a comparative nobody, just like her. He had a famous brother, yes, but not in a way that gave him any material benefit. Supposedly. But somehow, for some completely unfathomable reason, he was sitting up there at the head table in impeccable dress robes, two seats to the left of a young man who looked almost exactly like him—the famous brother, she supposed—with a distressingly beautiful, much younger red-headed witch in between them. And every time Tina's gaze darted over him (it was her job to constantly survey the room, she swore) it seemed like his focus was completely devoted to the mystery redhead who kept smiling at him.

It was the longest three hours of her life to the point where she very nearly prayed for a dark wizard attack, just so she would have something to do other than look up at where he was and think about the fact that it was a place she most definitely _wasn't_. And then when the dancing started, it was all she could do to stay perfectly in place and not visibly flinch when she saw him take the arm of the pretty witch at his right.

"Goldstein, tagging in," a familiar voice—Russo, one of her colleagues—whispered in her ear. "There's food for us in the kitchens. Side door over there, two doors down to the left."

"Thanks," she sighed back, and started making her way as quickly as her pumps would allow to the kitchen. If she took every second of her thirty-minute dinner break, she wouldn't feel guilty, and then she'd beg exhaustion so she didn't have to stick around and "enjoy the gala" now that she was off-duty. Any way she didn't have to watch _him_ anymore.

She slid into the kitchen like she would slide into her apartment at home, only instead of a cheery Queenie greeting her was a small army of house elves doing goodness knew what with platters of elaborate sweets. One bounded forward from the milling crowd towards her and made a low bow.

"Miss Goldstein, from the American contingent?" he (at least, he looked like a he) squeaked.

"Yes, that's me."

"There's a sandwich board to your left," he gestured with long fingers towards a long table piled ridiculously high with sliced bread, meat, cheese, and various vegetables. "We weren't sure what American wizards eat, so please put together whatever you like."

Making sandwiches was something Tina knew how to do well, something to ground her, so she took her time layering corned beef and cabbage into something that looked comfortingly familiar and noshed while watching the tiny beings bustle about with final preparations. It was amazing to think of the work that went on to make these events happen, a great way to distract herself from impending heartbreak.

When the house elves _popped_ the dessert trays out of existence, presumably making them appear in the ballroom as light snacks for the guests, Tina knew her time was up. Brushing crumbs from her dress, she tried to remember the guard rotation; Russo would still be on-duty, but he'd be positioned well into the ballroom. Woodall would be at the door, though, she could tell him that she'd be going back to their hotel early, maybe offer to take an extra shift the next day in recompense. Then she'd be done and dusted and have a nice empty hotel room to her own to cry everything out before everyone else came back after the dancing ended. Plan in hand, she thanked the house elves ("no trouble, no trouble!" they chorused) and stepped outside of the kitchen with full intent to make it to the ballroom except—

There _he_ stood in the hallway, that damnable redhead at his right shoulder, looking confused. Mercy Lewis, hadn't fate been unkind enough to her already?

"Ti—Miss Goldstein," he said, voice stilted. "It's been a long time."

"Yes, Mr. Scamander, it has." Really, what else was she supposed to say? _It has, but I thought my letters got across my feelings well enough, and I suppose I should be grateful that I've found out about your woman here before I made a complete fool of myself?_

"Miss Goldstein?" the woman's eyes lit up. "It's such a pleasure to meet you."

Newt turned rather abruptly between the two women. "Ah, so sorry...Miss Goldstein, this is my sister, Ada Scamander Prewett. Ada, this is Miss Porpentina Goldstein, a very dear friend."

Tina blinked. _Sister?_

"I'll run off and keep Theseus occupied," Ada winked to her brother before either Tina or Newt could comment. "He'll know something's up if we're both missing. We'll have to speak later, Miss Goldstein; Newt's talked so much about you this evening." The younger woman trotted off down the hall, leaving the pair in awkward silence.

Tina swallowed and tried to speak; her voice came out strangled. "You never mentioned a sister."

"Ada is twelve years my junior," he explained. "We hardly ever speak except at these events that Mother has us all attend...oh, Merlin's beard," his jaw dropped. "You must've thought—Tina, I am _so_ sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Tina mumbled under her breath, suddenly feeling rather foolish. "I'm here for work, after all. You aren't obligated to explain yourself."

"Begging your pardon, but I am." He swallowed, hands twitching with nerves. "You see, once I saw that by some miracle you were _here_ , I had rather lofty hopes for when I could catch you away from your post, if Ada could keep Theseus and Father from wondering where I am for a bit. I'll respect your wishes if you tell me to leave you be, but Tina...you are breathtakingly beautiful tonight, and I've been doing my damndest to keep it from being obvious that I desperately wish I could kiss you."

Tina stared for a moment, absorbing the bombshell he'd just dropped on her. "I'd ask if you'd been drinking, but I've watched you all evening."

"I'll admit I stocked up slightly on liquid courage," he shrugged with a hint of sheepishness. "I am not drunk, though."

"No, you aren't," Tina returned softly, looking him over. Two glasses of wine and a shot of some liquor over the course of an evening wasn't enough to significantly impair a man of his size.

"Then, Miss Goldstein," he licked his lips nervously, "would you tell me if I need to shoot down my hopes for tonight? I know I've bungled it, and you've every right—"

She didn't give him the chance to keep listing reasons she shouldn't kiss him. She knew them all, thought through them all in half a second, and found herself slipping her hand around his neck just over the carefully-starched collar of his dress robes and popping up on her toes so her lips could meet his.

He started, pulling back to look at her in bewilderment. "You...you forgive me?"

She smiled wryly. "Silly man, I'll forgive you if you kiss me back."

He blinked at her for a second, then pulled her close so the velvet of her dress was catching on the satin of his waistcoat and kissed her like his life depended on it. Tina's lips parted on instinct; this was _passion_ , like what she read about in the occasional steamy scene in her novels. Every inch of her tingled as the kiss deepened, her fingers weaving their way through his wavy hair, not letting go, not letting a single second go to waste while she had him in place.

_Thump_.

They both jumped apart as if shocked at the sound of a door closing quickly down the hall. Tina examined the damage; she was certain her dress needed more than a minor pressing spell, and Newt's robes were definitely the worse for the wear. Anyone who'd seen them would have no doubts about what they'd been up to.

"Err, small comfort, I suppose, but that was probably either a house-elf or someone similarly occupied as we were," Newt offered sheepishly. "Sorry, got a little carried away."

"No apology necessary, but I think we should find another venue if we want to continue this," Tina whispered as she tried to catch her breath.

"Such as?"

Tina bit her lip and blushed. "I'd offer my hotel room, but I'm actually directly placed in Picquery's suite. Only two women on this trip."

Newt's eyes grew wide with pleasant surprise. "If you're thinking along those lines, there's a cottage in Dorset that might suffice. I'll be able to return you to London whenever you need."

"A cottage in Dorset sounds perfect, then."


End file.
